They come by the thousands, to explore Tucson's mountain parks on foot.

Some parks are so close to Arizona's second city that commuters drive through them on their way to work.

The parking lot for the Sabino Canyon hiking area is about the size of the one at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. The difference is that Timberline is 60 miles from Portland, while Sabino Canyon is surrounded on three sides by Tucson neighborhoods.

In Tucson, where the last street of houses ends, the Coronado National Forest begins. Some of this land is wild enough that Congress made it the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area, a rarity for lands that abut a metro area of 1 million.

The proximity of trails to town makes Tucson a hiking city. It's not unusual to pass 50, or even 100, fellow hikers in a couple of minutes on popular trails.

Residents take brisk hikes in the morning, before work. The large retirement community hikes at any time, even by headlamp at night. And Tucson is filled seasonally with snowbirds from the north, including me last February, who hike in the Sonoran Desert's warmth as a respite from the cold and wet back home.

Tucson's trails have their season, October to April, but even on hot summer days the cool mountain heights beckon. You just have to drive a bit farther.

Here are five places I found to hike during my Tucson visit. All share Sonoran Desert scenery: "forests" of stately saguaro cacti; look-but-don't-touch beauty of barrel and prickly pear cactus, agave, yucca and cholla; craggy rock formations and soaring mountains; big desert skies turned red by the setting sun; and birds escaping winter of the north.

Hiking around Tucson in Arizona's Sonoran DesertTucson, the second largest city in Arizona, is surrounded by great places to hike. The largesse does not go unnoticed because hundreds of hikers flock to the trails during the October to April walking season.

Rincon Mountains: Much of these mountains is part of the east unit of Saguaro National Park. Preserved by President Herbert Hoover as a national monument in 1933, it was upgraded to park status by Congress in 1994. Of America's 58 national parks, only Hot Springs in Arkansas is more connected to an urban area.

The visitor center makes this the place to start a Tucson hiking trip because it offers a primer on the spiky things that live in the desert, be they plants, animals or insects. The Sonoran Desert is one of the most scenic landforms in America, but it does present challenges for safe navigation.

A driving tour from the visitor center makes an eight-mile loop, passing numerous scenic vistas with pullouts. The quarter-mile Desert Ecology hiking loop and four-mile Cactus Forest Trail along the way offer an introduction to desert ecology.

Go ahead, ogle a saguaro. Everyone does!

Tucson Mountains: Just west of the city, these mountains are part of Saguaro National Park's west unit. They top out with 4,687-foot Wasson Peak. While hiking 7.8 miles round-trip to the summit on the Hugh Norris Trail, you may think you have the heights to yourself. Then, near the top, four trails converge, and suddenly hikers are everywhere.

Not to be missed in this unit is Hohokam Loop Road with Signal Hill picnic area. A rock outcrop atop the hill has some of the Southwest's best Native-carved petroglyphs, with beautiful views of the desert and distant mountains.

Sabino Canyon: This is one of the busiest U.S. Forest Service hiking areas in the country. In addition to the large parking lot, a fleet of electric trams carries visitors on paved roads to trails up Sabino and Bear canyons.

The namesake canyon handles most of the hiking traffic, but Bear Canyon has its own delights with a seven-mile round-trip hike to Seven Falls. Any place with this much water in the desert is magical.

Trails extend deep into the mountains, where backpackers can hike for days.

Picacho Peak: This state park peak rises steeply 1,500 feet above the flat desert, along Interstate 10 north of Tucson. It would be a difficult climb if not for the steel cables anchored to the rocks to keep hikers safe and get them to the top. The Sunset Vista Trail (6.2 miles round-trip) is a good choice of two options because it follows the west side of a ridge, away from the freeway noise.

Catalina State Park: Just when I thought I had discovered a quiet place to hike, I showed up in the giant parking lot at Catalina State Park. Shouldn't everyone be at Saguaro or Sabino, both closer to Tucson than far-out Catalina on the northeast edge of the sprawling metro area?

Catalina was as busy as the others, perhaps because leashed dogs are welcome on some of the trails.

The main trail goes up Romero Canyon, reaching Romero Pools with a 5.6-mile round-trip effort. The pools bubble with cool running water year-round.

Here's some ideas from different Web sites for planning a spring break trip to Tucson and the surrounding Saguaro National Park and Sonoran Desert.

Learn about history and wildlife around Tucson, discover scenic hiking trails and beautiful campgrounds. Plan a trip or vacation using detailed downloadable maps
and referencing sight guides, check the weather of the area, get
the park address and driving directions, and find national park hotels and lodging.What's the best place to hike around Tucson?Saguaro National Park has two districts. The Rincon Mountain District is
located to the east of Tucson and the Tucson Mountain District
is located to the west of Tucson AZ. In 1933 Saguaro National Monument
was created. The Saguaro Wilderness Area of 71,400 acres was created in
1975. Saguaro National Park was created from these areas in 1994 and
currently encompasses 91,327 acres in its two districts. The Eastern
Rincon Mountain District rises to over 8,000 feet and includes more than 128
miles of trails. The western Tucson Mountain District is generally lower
in elevation with a denser saguaro forest.

The wilderness area within the Rincon Mountains is without roads, but
is accessible to hikers and backpackers; where bobcats, mountain lions,
bears, and a variety of smaller animals reside. Guided hikes are
available and can be short or a day-long wilderness trail. Some unusual
animals live here, several only found in Arizona, as roadrunners, horned
lizards, Gila monsters and kangaroo rats. Fiesta de Saguaro,
celebrates the area's Hispanic heritage.

A professional photographer's photo show of majestic saguaro cacti, sometimes reaching more than 30 feet in height, found in the Sonoran desert, where they form forests on valleys
and rocky mountain slopes.